The present invention refers to an animal treating arrangement.
The invention is concerned with animal treating arrangements where the animals are entering and standing on a rotary platform, and where the treatment, including for instance milking, teat cleaning and/or teat spraying, is performed on the animals standing on the rotary platform. Such animal treating arrangements are advantageous since they enable treatment of a large number of animals during a relatively short period of time, i.e. with a high efficiency. It has been proposed already to combine such an animal treating arrangement with a milking robot for applying teatcups of a milking machine in an automatic manner on the teats of the animals standing on the rotary platform.
According to a first solution, it is possible to provide several milking robots on the platform, whereby the milking robots rotate with the platform. The disadvantage of this solution is that one milking robot is needed for each milking place. According to a second solution, the milking robot, or several milking robots, is provided beside the platform, whereby the milking robot, during the rotation of the platform, attaches the teatcups to the animal present at the animal place being located in front of the milking robot.
EP-A-1 523 882 discloses an animal treating arrangement according to the second solution. In the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 13a, the arm is a milking robot arm. The milking robot has a device for determining the position of a teat of an animal standing on the milking platform. The robot arm, including the rotation of the robot arm, is controlled in response to the position of the teat. In the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 13d, the arm is a milking robot arm mounted to a movable vehicle, which moves along the milking platform. A device is provided on the vehicle for determining the position of a teat of an animal standing on the milking platform. Furthermore, this embodiment includes a stationary rail on which a number of teatcup carriers are movable along a path extending in parallel with the outer edge of the milking platform.
WO 2008/118068 discloses another animal treating arrangement according to the second solution. The arrangement comprises a carrying device configured to be positioned beside a rotary milking platform arranged to rotate with a rotary velocity around a centre axis and having a large number of animal places arranged to house a respective animal during the rotation of the rotary milking platform. The carrying device comprises a stationary rail arranged beside the milking platform. A milking robot arm, configured to attach the teatcups to the teats of an animal on the milking platform, is movable on the rail. The milking robot arm is movable along the rail with the same velocity as the rotary velocity of the milking platform during the attachment of the teatcups.
WO 00/74472 discloses a further animal treating arrangement according to the second solution, wherein a carrying device configured to be positioned inside a rotary milking path arranged to rotate around a centre axis and having a number of animal places. The carrying device comprises a stationary rail arranged inside the rotary milking path. A milking robot arm, configured to attach the teatcups to the teats of an animal on the milking platform, is movable on the rail. The milking robot arm is movable along the rail during the attachment of the teatcups.